Princess Parrot
Also known as:
Princess Alexandra's Parrot, Alexandra's Parrot, Princess of Wales Parakeet, Queen Alexandra's Parakeet, Rose-throated Parakeet, Spinifex Parrot
Also known as:
Princess Alexandra's Parrot, Alexandra's Parrot, Princess of Wales Parakeet, Queen Alexandra's Parakeet, Rose-throated Parakeet, Spinifex Parrot
DID YOU KNOW?
The name “Princess Parrot” was given in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who later married the Prince of Wales Edward VII and became Princess of Wales.
Size:
40 cm (15.6 in)
Weight:
92 g (3.2 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Male-rose/pink chin, throat, and foreneck; grey/olive breast and abdomen, abdomen variably washed with grey/purple; rose/pink thighs and lower flanks; olive/green hindneck, mantle and upper back; purple/blue lower back to upper tail coverts; wing patch yellow/green and visible; blue/green primary feathers; olive/green tail with rose/pink margins to inner webs of side tail feathers. Beak orange/red. Female-in general duller than male; duller green upper wing coverts, less yellow; shorter tail.
Colour Juvenile:
As in adult female but in general duller. Beak pale brown/pink. Eye brown.
Call:
Given prior to taking flight or in flight calls are prolonged, harsh and chattering. While perched gives a variety of chirrupings, croaks and grunts, with some sharp, short notes.
More Information:
Content Sources:
CITES
Wikipedia
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots: Status Survey and Conservation Plan 2000-2004, Snyder, McGowan, Gilardi, Grajal, 2000.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Parrots: Their Care and Breeding, Low, 1986.
Captive Status:
Fairly common.
Longevity:
20-30 yrs
Housing:
Walk-in enclosure, minimum length 4.5 m (14.7 ft).
Diet:
Small seed mix such as: canary, millet and smaller amounts of oats, buckwheat, safflower and a little hemp; limited sunflower seed; spray millet; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, dandelion, sowthistle, chickweed; seeding grasses; rearing food made from: hard-boiled egg, wholegrain bread and carrot, all ground to a crumbly consistency; fruits such as: apple, pear, banana and oranges.
Enrichment:
Provide large flight if possible. Install multiple perches of varying sizes, to facilitate exercise by flying.
Nest Box Size:
24″ (61 cm) nest log with 8″ (20.3 cm) interior.
Clutch Size:
4-6
Fledging Age:
5 weeks
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
900-10,000 mature individuals, stable.
IUCN Red List Status:
Near Threatened
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. The population is thought to vary substantially in response to conditions. There have been three reports of large concentrations of Princess Parrots in the last fifty years: up to 300 on Canning Stock Route in the early 1990s, a maximum of 172 at the best-known breeding event during 2010 on the eastern edge of their range, and a flock of at least 110 at Newhaven Reserve in winter 2012. In the last decade, however, there have been sightings over a large range in the Great Victoria, Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts both before and during the most recent documented breeding event suggesting a population at least ten times that number, so the maximum population size is suspected to be c.10,000 mature individuals but this requires confirmation.
Range:
Found in interior of W and C Australia, from Great Sandy Desert and eastern Goldfields, W Australia, east to W Queensland and northern S Australia.
Habitat:
Inhabits sandy areas with scattered casuarina shrubs or where river redgums provide breeding sites near water. Also dry riverine Eucalyptus woodland, hummock grassland, Acacia scrub and mulga areas.
Wild Diet:
Diet includes seeds of grasses and herbaceous plants including spinifex, Danthonia bipartita, Portulaca oleracea, Stenopetalum anfractum, Rhynchelytrum repens and Calandrinia; seeds and possibly blossoms of Acacia and Casuarina; leaves of Codonocarpus cotinifolius, flowers of Crotalaria cunninghami, Grevillea wickhamii and Hakea suberea.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Very nomadic and difficult to track. Birds are seen in singles, pairs or small groups of up to 15. Older records exist of larger breeding colonies. Individuals feed on the ground and may be quite approachable.
Clutch and Egg Size:
4-6 rounded eggs, 27.5 x 22.0 mm (1.1 x 0.8 in).
Breeding Season:
September-January, and may be prompted by the arrival of rain. Nest is in tree cavity or hollow limb.
